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TOP STORIES FOR
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2001
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Dynamite Explosion Shakes City |
By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
Residents around McKenzie were shaken from their
sleep on Thursday, July 12 at approximately 10:45
P.M. The loud concussion created by the controlled
explosion of a 60-pound case of dynamite shook
houses, broke a couple of nearby windows, and
generated more than a hundred calls to area law
enforcement agencies.
The Bomb Squad from Fort Campbell Army Base in Fort
Campbell, Kentucky was called to the detached garage
of Bobby Pate on Magnolia Street just outside of
McKenzie city limits. Inside was some dynamite that
had become unstable and had begun to "leak." Pate
said Dennis Taylor phoned the company that sold the
dynamite and they suggested contacting Fort Campbell
for their opinion.
The six-member squad was en route to McKenzie at
7:00 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they decided
to detonate the dynamite. Pate said they first
poured a substance on the dynamite to "neutralize"
it. They then packed the unstable dynamite, moved it
to a 300-meter safety zone at the back of the
adjacent golf driving range and buried the
explosives in a hole filled with a load of sand.
Some additional explosives were added that served as
a detonator. The Squad, standing alongside State
Route 124, initiated the detonation.
"The concussion was not that bad at the site," said
Pate, who noted that the Squad decided to blow the
entire sixty pounds at one time. The concussion from
the blast broke a plate glass window at Pate's son,
Joel's house nearby. He said another window was
broken on Oaklawn Street. Damage reports are being
directed to Fort Campbell, said Pate.
Cloyas Webb, owner of the driving range, said the
explosive created a hole four to five feet deep and
eight to ten feet across. Webb, who gave permission
for the detonation on his property, said the hole
has been refilled.
According to the dispatcher at Fort Campbell, the
soldiers respond to requests by law enforcement or
governmental agencies, but not to requests by
individuals. On Monday, the incident had not been
entered into the computer and squad members were
unavailable for comment because they were away from
the base.
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South Carroll Relay for Life Raises $112,000 |
The South Carroll Relay for Life netted $112,000 for
the fight against cancer. Twenty-nine teams gathered
at Veterans Park on Friday, July 13 for the second
annual event.
For the second straight year, Tim Tucker and Dr. Lee
Carter served as co-chairmen of the event. Tucker
called the Relay for Life 'the most rewarding
experience." He said he and his wife have
"thoroughly enjoyed working with the Carters."
Honorary chairladies were Gina Pritchard and Judy
Dobson. Each is a survivor of cancer. Gina, a wife
and a mother of three, said her breast cancer has
made her family closer. Dobson, a wife, mother, and
grandmother, said both she and her daughter are both
cancer survivors. She said her father and
grandfather both died of cancer. She was diagnosed
with ovarian cancer four years ago.
One hundred-ten survivors attended the Relay. Each
received a medallion and made the first lap around
the relay track.
Teams included churches, governmental organizations,
and businesses from Huntingdon, Hollow Rock,
Bruceton, and Clarksburg. The list includes:
Huntingdon Middle School, Huntingdon Primary School,
First United Methodist Church, First Bank,
Huntingdon/Hollow Rock Post Office, Dilday Funeral
Home, Rurtain, Huntingdon Missionary Baptist Church,
Blood-Sweat-and Gear, Carroll Bank and Trust,
Norandal, HHS Seniors, HHS Interact/Beta Clubs, E.W.
James Supermarket, Town of Huntingdon, Carroll
County Office Complex, Huntingdon Elks Club, Baptist
Memorial Hospital, Carey Counseling Center,
Wal-Mart, Prospect Baptist Church, Life Care Center,
Town of Clarksburg, Clarksburg School, Huntingdon
Church of Christ, First United Methodist
Church-Bruceton, First Baptist Church-Huntingdon.
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Highway 79 Corridor Public Hearing Set for July 23 |
The Tennessee Department of Transportation will
conduct two Corridor Public Hearings for the
Environmental Assessment for State Route 76 (US 79)
from U.S. 45E in Milan, Gibson County to the
existing (5) five lane section near Lawrence Street
in McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee, as shown on
the project location map at the following locations
and times. Project Numbers 09009-1228-14 and
27009-1209-14.
The Department will conduct a Corridor Public
Hearing in McKenzie, Carroll County from 5:00 p.m.
to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, July 23, at the McKenzie
High School. The Department will conduct a second
Corridor Public Hearing and also a Design Public
Hearing for that portion of State Route 76 (U.S.
Highway 79) from State Route 45 (U.S. 45E) in Milan,
Gibson County to a point near the Carroll County
line, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July
24, 2001 at the Milan Senior Citizen Center.
The Department conducts informal "Open House" type
Corridor and Design Public Hearings during which
time there will be no formal presentation and
interested persons may arrive any time within the
two-hour period. Representatives of the Department
will be present to provide information relative to
the general location, major design features, the
social, economic, environmental and other effects of
the foregoing, the relocation assistance program,
the tentative schedules for right-of-way acquisition
and construction and any other matters of interest.
The public is invited to ask questions and make
comments during the hearing and will be given the
opportunity to make their opinions known concerning
the need for this project, its general location and
any other location, major design features, to
present views on any alternative design and the
social, economic, environmental and other effects of
the foregoing matters so that the project would best
serve the public interest.
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Charlene Alsup is MES Principal |
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Charlene Alsup of Dresden is the new principal at
McKenzie Elementary School. Mrs. Alsup lists her
experience as: 14 years as an elementary classroom
teacher; 1 year UTM in Reading; 1 year - dual role -
Asst. Principal at Dresden Elementary School and
third grade teacher.
She is a 1969 graduate of Martin High School and a
1974 graduate of the University of Tennessee at
Martin. She attained a Masters in Education from UTM
in 1998 and a Master in Education Leadership in the
year 2000 from Trevecca. Mrs. Alsup has three
children - two at Mississippi State University and
one resides in Montana.
MSSD Superintendent Jim Ward said Mrs. Alsup was one
of six "highly qualified candidates." He said he and
she reviewed MES' report card issued by the
Tennessee Department of Education and looked at
areas of needed improvement. The emphasis will be in
math and language arts- especially reading.
She will head the K-4 MES, which has over 500
students, 27 homeroom instructors, plus P.E.,
Guidance, and Music for a total of 39 teachers.
Mrs. Alsup said the schools should reflect community
values. She said her emphasis will be on strong
academics and technology.
Kenneth Graves will be joining the staff as the
maintenance supervisor. The McKenzie resident has
worked at Union University for more than 20 years in
a similar area. Mr. Graves' wife is Marion Melba
Graves, a second grade teacher at McKenzie.
Additional personnel are being sought for the
school. Mr. Ward said the System is seeking a fourth
grade teacher, elementary PE teacher with coaching
responsibilities of middle school football and high
school baseball.
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Unemployment Sparks Record Numbers for Red Cross in
Carroll County |
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After a record year for the Carroll County Chapter
of the American Red Cross, Perry Cole, Director of
the agency, says: "I am very grateful that we have
so far been able to do it, but if we have another
year like this past year, I'm not sure we'll be able
to do it because our money situation is critical."
Ms. Cole believes the record
numbers of individuals and families needing Red
Cross assistance is tied directly to high levels of
unemployment within the county.
"Unemployment reached nearly
14% and most of those who have been unemployed are
still unemployed," she said, adding that many people
are requesting help who have never had to ask for
assistance before.
The Red Cross helps families
in Carroll County by providing disaster services,
emergency notification services for military
personnel, aid in paying winter-time electric bills,
blood drives, and confidential, neutral assistance
in addition to referral to other help agencies.
"AFES (Armed Forces
Emergency Services) and Disaster Services are the
two most important things we do, because they deal
with families in distress," Ms. Cole stated.
She says individuals often
wait until a situation has become critical before
asking for help, for instance, after the electricity
has been turned off at home. The agency provides
assistance with house payments, utility bills and
medical bills on a limited - usually one-time -
basis. "But that's not chiseled in stone," Ms. Cole
adds.
Families and individuals may
request assistance in paying electric bills during
winter months through a program known as "Project
HELP", a method by which citizens can request that
any amount from $1.00 up be added to their utilities
bills to assist in paying bills of handicapped, low
income and elderly persons.
Requests or referrals to the
program are made directly to the Red Cross, which
are then considered by a board for determination of
the amount of assistance that may be granted.
Typically, $1000 comes into the fund each year.
Potential contributors may
contact the Electric Department or the American Red
Cross in order to obtain a donation form, or you may
print out a form from the McKenzie Banner Online at
www.mckenziebanner.com.
"The bottom line is that we
had a banner year because we've had so many people
who needed help this year," she said with
appropriate concern.
Anyone wishing to make a
donation to the American Red Cross may contact Ms.
Cole at 731-986-3722.
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PROJECT HELP
Project HELP is a community project administered by
the Carroll County Chapter of the American Red Cross
in cooperation with CCED. Project HELP allows
participants to voluntarily contribute $1 or more on
their utility bills to help area elderly, low income
and handicapped persons with energy assistance
during the cold weather months. |
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If you
would like to participate in Project HELP, all you have
to do is request that CCED add $1, $2 or more to your
utility bill each month. Simply fill out and send in the
attached form. Your contribution will be shown on your
monthly bill as "contribution" and will be included in
the total amount of the bill. Your contributions are tax
deductible.
If you would like to make a lump sum
contribution, please send your check to: Project HELP;
P.O. Box 527; Huntingdon, TN 38344. If you would like
more information, please feel free to call CCED at
731-986-8284.
Yes, I want to help.
Please add the following amount to my
electric bill:
$1 ___ $2 ___ $5 ___
$10 ___ Other Amount (please specify ___
Monthly __________ Lump Sum __________
Name
_____________________________________________________
Address
___________________________________________________
City ________________________ State _________ Zip
_____________
CCED Account Number
____________________________________
Signature
__________________________________________________
For a printable copy of this form, please click here
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Phone (731) 352-3323 or
Fax (731) 352-3322
washburn@mckenziebanner.com
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